First Coast Cultural Center (FCCC) will transform into a nature wonderland when artist Sandra FitzSimmons’ exhibition opens with a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1, and it is free and open to the public.
Titled “Native Flora, Fauna, and Fantasy,” this collection of paintings on various surfaces, including canvases and unique spinning wooden cubes, will be featured through Oct. 2 at the center in Sawgrass Village in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Ever since she was a child growing up in Low Country, FitzSimmons says she has loved watching animals and collecting items from nature, such as rocks, stones, arrowheads, flint and driftwood.
“Nature is deeply ingrained in my soul,” said the former interior designer. “I was always picking things up from the ground and have boxes and boxes of inspiration.”
These experiences as an active participant in the natural world are reflected in her serendipitous works, which are full of movement and life.
“You are supposed to paint what you know, and I love animals,” she said. “Their actions are so intriguing to watch.”
“We welcome this exciting exhibition, which reflects the diversity of native Florida, from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys, and features a collection of works that lends itself to community education through visual arts,” said FCCC Senior Operations Director Silvia Romero.
FitzSimmons, who paints professionally full-time, owned a residential interior design firm for more than 40 years, creating paintings for clients as well as private commissions. The Ponte Vedra resident is also the founder and leader of Source Imagery, and she conducts corporate and private collage workshops throughout the country.
In addition to her BFA in Studio Painting from the University of Georgia and M.Ed. from SUNY Buffalo, she also attended Ritins School of European Old World Painting in Toronto, Canada, and the Isabel O’Neil School of Fine Finishing Paint Techniques in New York City.
More information on FCCC’s exhibitions and programs is available on the website at firstcoastculturalcenter.org.
Note that the Annual Holiday Shoppes has been scheduled for Nov. 22 and 23, and the Luxury Coach and Lights Tour is set for Dec. 5.
For more information, contact Kimberly Sheridan at 904-280-0614, Ext. 1205, or ksheridan@firstcoastculturalcenter.org.
